SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, May 3 (Reuters) – U.S. President
Barack Obama signaled on Friday that a proposal to add a
same-sex partnership measure to a U.S. immigration overhaul
should not be allowed to derail the entire legislative effort.

Obama has used the prospect of new immigration laws as a
major selling point for stronger U.S. relations with Latin
America on a three-day tour of Mexico and Costa Rica that ends
on Saturday.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday he does not foresee a scenario in which he would send U.S. ground troops to Syria and outlined a deliberate approach to determining whether the Syrian government had used chemical weapons in a 2-year civil war.

Obama insisted that the United States has not ruled out any options in dealing with Syria as the United States investigates whether the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – President Barack Obama told the Mexican people on Friday that he sees a “new Mexico” emerging, with a deepening democracy and growing economy, and that Mexico and the United States should be viewed as equal partners.

“I have come to Mexico because it is time to put old mindsets aside,” Obama said in a speech to university students. “It’s time to recognize new realities, including the impressive progress in today’s Mexico.”

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama gave his blessing on Thursday to a new security arrangement with Mexican leader Enrique Pena Nieto, in which Mexico will make reducing violence a priority over hunting drug cartel kingpins in the war against organized crime.

The two presidents said they also want to step up trade and business ties that have been overshadowed by the battle against drug trafficking.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico on Thursday for a visit he hopes will draw attention to Mexico’s emerging economic might, even as worries about containing drug-trafficking and related violence remain an inescapable subtext.

Obama meets with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and is then due to hold a news conference at 4:10 p.m. CDT (4.10 p.m. EDT).

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Without comment or fanfare, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed legislation sparing U.S. air travel from the effects of across-the-board spending cuts that had caused delays and stirred public ire.

Cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration under the budget-cutting process known as sequestration began holding up air travel across the country last week, infuriating travelers and airline staff.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said a trip to Mexico this week will center on economic issues such as trade and energy but security issues will not be far behind.

“A lot of the focus is going to be on economics,” Obama said during a news conference. “We’ve spent so much time on security issues between the United States and Mexico that sometimes I think we forget this is a massive trading partner, responsible for huge amounts of commerce and huge numbers of jobs on both sides of the border.”

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama
plans on Monday to nominate Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor
Anthony Foxx to be his next transportation secretary, a White
House official said on Sunday.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Foxx would replace Ray
LaHood, who has served as transportation secretary since January
2009.

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Wednesday backed a plan that would temporarily eliminate spending cuts disrupting U.S. air travel, while lawmakers in Washington scrambled to avoid blame as the impact of the reductions began being felt across the country.

Airlines pushed for the government to act as flight delays increased and planes stacked up at airports, with one chief executive saying, “We can’t do this for long.”

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, April 24 (Reuters) – The Obama
administration on Wednesday backed a plan that would temporarily
eliminate spending cuts disrupting U.S. air travel, while
lawmakers in Washington scrambled to avoid blame as the impact
of the reductions began being felt across the country.

Airlines pushed for the government to act as flight delays
increased and planes stacked up at airports, with one chief
executive saying, “We can’t do this for long.”